Charging apparatus for blast-furnaces.



PATENTBD AUG. 30, 1904.

W. KENNEDY.

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST FURNACES.

APPLIOATION FILED 1330.14, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR WITNESSES No. 768,858. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. W. KENNEDY.CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST FURNACES.

AIPLIGATION FILED DECLM, 1903. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. W. KENNEDY.

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.14, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

INVENTOR 7 Um ire STATES Patented. August 30, 1904.

ATENT Fries.

CHARGING APPARATUS FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,858, dated August30, 1904:.

Application filed December 14, 1903. Serial No. 185,124- (No model.)

To (0N, whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWVALTER KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States.residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in Charging Apparatus for Blast-Furnaces, of whichimprovement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements inapparatus for charging ore into blast-furnaces.

It is in some places the practice to provide a line of track in a tunnelor below the surface of the ground or floor on which the ore is storedand to provide chutes whereby the ore can be loaded into cars travelingon such line of track. The skipway extends from a point under said lineof track to the top of the furnace, so that the ore-cars can bedischarged directly into the skips. This apparatus greatly facilitatesthe charging of the furnace, as the movement of the ore is effected bygravity into the car, skips, and furnace. Considerable delay isexperienced in loading the skips, as the cars conveying the ore to theskips are usually of considerable less capacity than the skips, and thelatter must be held until two or more cars are brought to position overthe skips discharged and then shifted to make room for the next car.Even when the cars are made of a capacity equal to that of the skips--anarrangement not generally desirable or practicableeither the loaded carsor the empty skips must be frequently held the one for the other.

The invention described herein has for its object the provision of astorage vessel or bin at the point Where the skips are loaded ofacapacity equal to or preferably in excess of that of the skip, so thatthe cars can be unloaded and the skip loaded without any delay, bothbeing operated without regard to the movements of the other.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the tunnel, skipway,storage-bins, &c. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional elevations on planesindicated, respectively, by lines 11 H and I11 111, Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention one or more lines of track 1 arearranged below the level ofthe storage floor or ground for the ore, suchdepressed passage-way being covered, by preference, forming a tunnel 2.Chutes 3, extending into the tunnel and terminating over the lines oftrack, are arranged at suitable intervals. These chutes are providedwith suitable doors 4, having operating-handles 5, so that a quantity ofthe ore can be placed in the chutes and above the same and dischargedinto the cars 6 as soon as they are in position under the chutes. One ormore vessels or bins7, dependent upon the number of skips employed, arearranged in such relation to the lines of track 1 that the cars 6 can bedischarged thereinto. The skipWay or skipways 8 extend under thedischargeopenings of these bins, so that the skip 9 can receive itsloadfrom the bins or vessels. The discharge of the contents of the binis controlled by a suitable door 10, which can be operated in anysuitable manner, but preferably by a lever 11, arranged in the operatorsplatform 12 and in convenient proximity to the Wheel 13, controlling themovements of the skip.

In operating this plant the ore handlers need not pay any attention tothe movements of the skip and will be required only to maintain asufficient quantity of ore in the bin to charge the skip, so that ampletime will be afforded for loading and Weighing the cars. On the'otherhand, the operator controlling the loading and movements of the skip canshift or openthe door 10 as' soon as the skip reaches position-under thebin, so that the skip is out ofservice only long enough to permit itsbeing filled from the bins.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. A blast-furnace plant having incombination a skipWay, a skip movable along such Way, a storage-binarranged above the skip- Way at the skip-loading point, a line of trackextending from the ore pile to a point above the storage-bin, and carsmovable along such track, substantially as set forth.

2. A blast-furnace plant, having in combi- In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

\VALTER KENNEDY.

Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. \VOLCO'PT, F. E. GMTHER.

